The Journey of Immortal Cultivation
Chapter 230 - 146 Barrier_2

Chapter 230: Chapter 146 Barrier_2

Legends are indeed unreliable.

Perhaps due to the Spiritual Tea incident, checkpoints have been set up at the pass, significantly slowing down passage. Ning Xiaoxian, with her keen eyesight, could see from afar that the staff inspecting the travel groups at the checkpoint were not wearing the uniforms of Yan City Government Office. Geographically, this area is still within Feng Province and should be managed by the Clearing Void Sect regarding pass affairs. However, the people now stationed here were wearing a variety of colorful uniforms, obviously from different factions.

She sighed to herself, the situation within the Clearing Void Sect seemed worse than everyone had originally anticipated. Now they couldn’t even hold the checkpoint, and she couldn’t help but think of Tantai Yi. If he hadn’t entered seclusion at this time, would the predicament of the Clearing Void Sect have improved?

Helplessly, she joined the queue, which was more than three miles long, waiting to pass through. Around the checkpoint, "Peace Pillars" were placed that could repel demons, so the merchant teams and travelers who made it here were mostly safe. Looking around, she saw that many in the queue were injured, the scent of blood still fresh, indicating battles along the way. The Clearing Void Sect was responsible for the security of this region but now the sect was too preoccupied to attend to it, and the demons had gradually sensed the opportunity and become less obedient.

The checkpoint was inspected so rigorously, of course, to prevent Wen Liangyu from escaping the borders of Feng Province. Feng Province had many mountains while Leizhou had many waters; if he fled to Leizhou, it would be difficult to catch him again.

She saw from a distance that atop the checkpoint flashed bright lights repeatedly, and she wondered, "What’s that?"

"Demon Mirror, reveals the true form of demons within the mirror," Changtian answered, "It’s too far to tell what grade it is. But to reveal Wen Liangyu’s true face, it’s more than enough. The ones hung so casually at the checkpoint are likely common items; to reveal Transformation Stage demons would be quite impressive. However, Wen Liangyu is a Half-demon who cannot freely use demonic power, so as long as he stands below it, the mirror would show his true body."

It seems the adversaries have thoroughly considered the possibility of him using Disguise Pills to get through, quite a meticulous contingency. But in fact, Wen Liangyu is currently sitting peacefully in the God Demon Prison sipping tea, without a trace of the desperation of someone who has lost everything.

The one really in dire straits, is it her or not? The one who should worry about getting through the checkpoint, is it her or not? She still had Disguise Medicine on her face, and if it was exposed by the Demon Mirror, who knows how she would be treated.

Yet his voice contained a hint of laughter: "You worry too much. The Demon Mirror will only reveal a demon’s true form when it senses demon energy; since you are an ordinary person, it won’t care about you even if you apply three more layers of medicine."

"What about Bai Hong and Bai Jing?"

"They don’t have demon energy either, so they are very safe."

That was quite a relief; she sighed deeply.

Time passed bit by bit as she waited. The checkpoint inspection was indeed very strict. She had been waiting from early morning till noon before she finally moved up to the pass. Standing still, looking back, the line behind her had grown even longer than it was in the morning, after all, many merchant teams from all over the state were just starting to arrive.

Getting closer, she could now clearly see the Demon Mirror hanging overhead. It looked just like a slightly larger than palm-sized, unremarkable eight-pointed bronze mirror, its surface muddled and the rune carvings on its frame corroded, barely discernible.

The interrogation was long and tedious, asking about one’s place of origin, destination, and family members. She had already rehearsed her testimony thoroughly with Wen Liangyu and Changtian while in the God Demon Prison, answering without any slips. Standing under the mirror, she looked up, but the impurities on its surface almost covered everything – she couldn’t even see her own reflection in the mirror. However, the Gatekeeper was satisfied and loudly called, "Next!"

The twin little bat demons stood beneath the Demon Mirror. Her heart suddenly leaped, although Changtian had confirmed that the two young ones would not slip up, but what if? What would she do?

Luckily, they stood for quite a while, and the mirror still kept its silence with no anomalies surfacing.

She breathed a sigh of relief, unable to resist the thought that maybe the mirror was broken?

"Demon!" Just as she wrapped her arms around the twins to move forward, a cry of alarm came from behind. She immediately looked back, and this time, the Demon Mirror was not as calm.

The surface, which had been coated with a patina of verdigris, suddenly cleared up, with flashes of purple light passing across it intermittently. Reflected on the mirror was the vivid image of a demon, covered in fine fur with striated fur patterns – undoubtedly, a Cat Demon!

Behind her was a pair of grandmother and grandchild; the old woman looked to be over sixty years old. But given how harsh the world could be, those who passed fifty often looked as if they were in their sixties; the child was a little girl around six or seven years old, pale-faced with several patches on her clothes, clearly from a poor family. The little girl was very curious about the twin bat demons, always wanting to talk to these two "little brothers." But in the eyes of the little bat demons, humans were an inferior race, with Ning Xiaoxian being the only exception. Despite their young age, they carried a demon’s dignity and would not deign to entertain her.

Ning Xiaoxian, however, took pity and chatted with the little girl for a bit longer. If this pair of grandparents were accused of harboring a demon, she found it hard to believe.

But the Demon Mirror brightly reflected the image of the Cat Demon, originally hiding among the belongings of the grandmother and grandchild. The Demon Mirror even penetrated through the bag, clearly projecting its features in front of everyone. Initially crowded with people lamenting the narrow space and packed line, on seeing this spectacle, they all retreated seven or eight feet away, leaving the grandmother and grandchild exposed in the center.

Shouts and curses broke out, and then the Gatekeepers swarmed forward, pinning the old woman to the ground, and bundling her up. The Cat Demon leapt out of the bag to flee, and a Cultivator pointed a finger, immobilizing it on the spot. (To be continued. If you like this work, please visit Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation ticket, Monthly Ticket, your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users please visit m.qidian.com to read.)